McMahon: Chess pieces
Jan 12, 2011, 7:16 PM | Updated: Jun 5, 2012, 3:27 am
Tell you what. Let’s make a deal. If I say something that you totally and completely disagree with, you won’t shoot me. And, if I find that you and I are at opposite ends of every debate — politically, philosophically, religiously — I promise not to try to ruin your family or say unkind things about your mom.
If we can agree on that, then I feel I can tell you that I’m not a fan of Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh. They’re a little too theatrical for my tastes. But hold it! I’m really not a fan of Keith Oberman — too smug, too arrogant. I’m a big fan of Jon Stewart. He admits he is an entertainer and finds the foolishness in everybody.
But if I were mentally ill, all of those people could send me over the edge. Even a comic’s point of view could create an excuse for violence in the mind of someone who’s unstable. A mentally incompetent person’s actions could be triggered by a word like bananas. So should we point an accusing finger at Chiquita?
Listen, trying to find blame for an irrational murderous act simplifies something that is hideously unexplainable. So let’s you and respectfully give one another a little space, so neither one of us goes bananas.
